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ASX RELEASE | De.mem Limited (ASX:DEM)
De.mem Presents Next Generation Membrane Technology
De.mem launches new, proprietary graphene oxide‐enhanced membrane technology
The new technology provides significant customer benefits including increased throughput and therefore,
reduced operating cost, and superior filtration performance
The new Intellectual Property complements De.mem’s existing membrane technology portfolio and further
positions De.mem as a leader in hollow fibre membrane technology and development
7 September 2021: Australian‐Singaporean water and waste water treatment company De.mem (ASX:DEM)
(“De.mem” or “the Company”) is pleased to present its “next‐generation” hollow‐fibre membrane technology,
potentially disrupting the existing global US$9.4 billion hollow‐fibre membrane market.
Introducing De.mem’s Graphene Oxide (GO) enhanced polymer membranes
De.mem has today released to the Australian Securities Exchange a Technology and Product Presentation
(attached to this announcement) describing its “next generation” graphene oxide (GO) ‐ enhanced membranes.
De.mem’s new technology is based on the Company’s existing polymer membranes, which are infused with GO
nanoparticles as an additive. The manufacturing process is highly scalable, consistent with existing manufacturing
processes.
De.mem’s new membrane technology has the potential to disrupt the existing global market for hollow‐fibre
membranes, which is expected to grow from a US$9.4 billion global market (2019) to US$16 billion by 2026
(source: Global Market Insights Inc.).
Benefits of new GO membranes
Graphene is the new “wonder material”, one of the strongest, lightest, most conductive and transparent
materials, known to humanity, with increased durability relative to other materials.
Graphene has exciting applications in water and wastewater treatment. When oxygen groups are added to
create graphene oxide (GO), the material promotes rapid water permeation, can deliver a substantially higher
water flux (throughput) and increased rejection over current state‐of‐the‐art hollow‐fibre membranes, while it
displays a lower fouling tendency of the membrane.
New technology and product family added to De.mem’s existing, comprehensive Intellectual Property (“IP”)
portfolio
The new GO‐enhanced membranes add further value to De.mem’s technology and IP portfolio. They are suitable
for a wide range of applications, including potable water treatment and industrial waste water treatment.
De.mem’s existing technology portfolio comprises three wholly‐owned, royalty‐free product families
(categories), complemented by additional IP exclusively licenced from world‐leading research institute,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (“NTU”). NTU was ranked no. 2 globally in membrane research
technology by Lux Research (2013).
De.mem’s wholly‐owned product families / categories are:
De.mem’s hollow fibre nanofiltration membrane, which, based on its minimized pore size in the
nanometer range, produces high quality treated water in a simple, low‐pressure and low‐energy
consumption process;
De.mem’s ultrafiltration membrane, an established water treatment process deployed for potable water
generation to industrial waste water treatment applications as well as for Reverse Osmosis (i.e. seawater
desalination) pretreatment;
De.mem’s new GO‐enhanced membrane.
The Company’s wholly‐owned technology portfolio is complemented by the Company’s hollow fibre forward
osmosis de‐watering membranes, which were licensed from NTU.
Product Development Process
Today’s announcement concludes a 24‐months product development process involving De.mem’s team of in‐
house membrane experts based in Singapore.
At its state‐of‐the‐art Singapore research facility, De.mem has successfully observed superior filtration
characteristics from its GO‐enhanced membrane technology. Internal testing demonstrates:
20‐40% increased water flux (throughput, or volumes of clean water produced) over standard polymer
membranes, reducing the operating cost per liter of filtered water produced.
Ultra‐high water flux for certain variations of the technology.
Increased rejection (rejection of contaminants, or filtration performance) over standard polymer membranes.
The Company is currently commencing industrial scale pilot projects.
CEO Commentary
CEO Andreas Kroell said,
“While being recognized by our clients as a leader in providing industrial water and waste water treatment
solutions, the highly competitive position of De.mem is built around our portfolio of innovative hollow‐fibre
membrane technologies. This technology and Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio gives us a unique value proposition
to the customer and provides our turn‐key systems with a “competitive edge”.
Our existing hollow‐fibre nanofiltration, ultrafiltration and forward osmosis technologies are already in the
market.
With our new graphene oxide (GO)‐enhanced membranes we are now adding another unique technology family
to our IP portfolio. With their improved flux and high rejection of contaminants, they have the potential to disrupt
the membrane industry.
We are very excited about launching this new technology and are now moving to the industrial‐scale pilot stage.
We look forward to updating the market with further progress.”
This release was authorized by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Andreas Kroell.
‐ENDS‐
For further information, please contact:
De.mem Limited
Andreas Kroell
CEO
De.mem Limited
Investor Enquires
George Gabriel, CFA
+61 3 8686 9144
De.mem Limited (ASX:DEM) is a decentralised water and wastewater treatment business that designs, builds, owns and operates turnkey water and wastewater treatment systems for some of the world’s largest companies in the mining, electronics, chemical, oil & gas, and food & beverage industries. Its systems also provide municipalities, residential developments and hotels/resorts across the Asia Pacific with a reliable supply of clean drinking water.
De.mem’s technology to treat water and wastewater is among the most advanced globally. The Company is headquartered in Australia and has international locations in Singapore, Germany and Vietnam. It is commercialising an array of innovative proprietary technologies from its research and development partner, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, a world leader in membrane and water research. Technologies uniquely offered by De.mem include a revolutionary low‐
pressure hollow fibre nanofiltration membrane that uses less electricity and is cheaper to operate than conventional systems, as well as a new Forward Osmosis membrane deployed in de‐watering applications or the concentration of liquids.
To learn more, please visit: www.demembranes.com
Forward Looking Statements
Statements contained in this release, particularly those regarding possible or assumed future performance, revenue, costs, dividends, production levels or rates, prices or potential growth of De.mem Limited, are, or may be, forward looking statements. Such statements relate to future events and expectations and, as such, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward‐looking statements depending on a variety of factors.
Technology Presentation
Advanced Membrane Technologiesfor Water and Waste Water Filtration
7 September 2021
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CONTENTS
SECTION 1: DE.MEM TECH POSITIONING AND MARKET OPPORTUNITYOVERVIEW
MARKET OPPORTUNITY
SECTION 2: DE.MEM HOLLOW-FIBRE MEMBRANE PORTFOLIOWORKING PRINCIPLE
HIGHLY SCALABLE THROUGH MODULARISATION
BROAD APPLICATION RANGE
NANOFILTRATION RANGE
ULTRA- AND MICROFILTRATION RANGE
POINT-OF-USE FILTRATION FOR DOMESTIC USE
FORWARD OSMOSIS
TECHNICAL DATA
SECTION 3: DE.MEM’s NEXT GENERATION MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGYUSE OF GRAPHENE IN MEMBRANE RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
DE.MEM PRESENTS ITS NEXT GEN GRAPHENE-OXIDE MEMBRANES
APPENDIXCASE STUDIES
DE.MEM TECHNOLOGY POSITIONING AND MARKET OPPORTUNITY
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OVERVIEW4
De.mem specializes in hollow fibre membrane technology for use in water and waste water treatment and industrial processes -developed and manufactured at its facility in Singapore
De.mem’s Intellectual Property (IP) comprises three main product families / categories (for details see section II):
• Hollow fibre nanofiltration,
• Ultrafiltration, and
• Graphene-Oxide (GO) enhanced membranes(new and presented today)
De.mem offers products for a wide range of “high value add” applications, including:
• potable water generation
• industrial waste-water treatment
• recycling/reuse
• industrial processes such as milk or beverage production
De.mem owns extensive IP in hollow fibre membrane technology
IMAGE: Membrane production in Singapore
IMAGE: De.mem Ultrafiltration system
DE.MEM MARKET OPPORTUNITY: HOLLOW FIBRE MEMBRANES5
Global market for hollow fibre membrane filtration*:• From US$9.4 bn in 2019 to US$16 bn by 2026
(forecast),• CAGR of 7.9% from 2019 to 2026• Higher growth rates vs. overall market• Driven by R&D and innovation (vs other
segments driven by cost – i.e. high volumemanufacturing and economies of scale)
Macro-economic drivers:• Population growth• Growing emerging markets• Growing industrial demand• Food & beverage sector growth• Mining & resources sector growth
Asia-Pacific ~33% of global**
Market Trends
Hollow fibre membrane specialization
Technology broadly applicable across multiple industries with focus on high-growth, industrial segments such as F&B and agriculture
Proprietary hollow-fibre membrane portfolio targeting “high value add” applications, validated and in the market, including:• potable water generation• industrial waste-water treatment• recycling/reuse• Industrial processes such as milk or beverage
production
Expanding proprietary technology portfolio; now launching “next gen” membrane technology
*Source: Global Market Insights Inc.**Source: Markets & Markets
De.mem is well positioned in a high-growth, high-value add segment with substantial market size
Positioning & Strategy
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DE.MEM HOLLOW-FIBRE MEMBRANE PORTFOLIO
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF HOLLOW FIBRE MEMBRANE FILTRATION7
• Membranes are a microporous structure
• Only water molecules smaller than the pores pass through the membrane “barrier”
• Depending on pore size, a wide range of contaminants can be removed
• Hollow fibre (HF) membranes are straw-shaped fibres with hollow interior and microporous walls
• Hollow fibre membranes generally operate under low pressure and are easy to clean and maintain
HF Membrane Bundles Membrane Modules
Feed water i.e.Industrial waste water
De.mem membrane module with membrane
fibre bundle
Membrane fibres
As (low) pressure is applied, water passes
through the pores in the selective layer of the
membrane
Clean water
Working Principle of HF Membrane Filtration
HIGHLY SCALABLE THROUGH MODULARISATION8
HF Membrane Filtration Module
Hollow fibre
membranes
Feed
Permeate
De.mem membrane modules enable a compact and highly scalable water-treatment process
• Membrane modules package bundles of membranes into a compact format. The modules are the key component in De.mem’sintegrated, turn-key water treatment systems
• Hollow fibre membranes are packaged in standard sized cartridges (=membrane modules), i.e. 4inch or 8inch in diameter
• The modular format makes it easy to scale the capacity of a plant, by just adding more modules to a rack or train
• Hollow fibre membrane modules can be cleaned easily in an automated backwash process, and are relatively insensitive to cleaning chemicals i.e. chlorine
• Module cartridges can easily be replaced
BROAD APPLICATION RANGE9
De.mem technology comes with a variety of pore sizes. It removes tiny contaminants including dyes, pesticides/herbicides, microplastics, solids, viruses, bacteria etc. in a simple process
HOLLOW-FIBRE NANOFILTRATION RANGE10
• De.mem’s hollow fibre Nanofiltration (NF) membrane is a unique technology that comes with a pore size in the nanometer range. Due to the very fine pore size, the membrane can filter out smallest particles and generate a high quality treated water stream
• The technology removes small organics, viruses and bacteria, dyes/colour, pesticides/herbicides, microplastics and other small molecules from a water stream
• Applications are within industrial waste water treatment, re-cycling/reuse and potable water generation
• The membrane can operate under 1-2 bar operating pressure only, enabling significant savings of up to 70% in energy consumption vs. RO or flat sheet NF
• The technology can combine multiple treatment steps(i.e. UF and RO) into one single process
IMAGE: HF Nanofiltration membrane system deployed in Vietnam
IMAGE:Hollow-fibreNanofiltration membranes made by De.mem inSingapore
ULTRAFILTRATION AND MICROFILTRATION RANGE11
• De.mem’s Ultrafiltration (UF) and Microfiltration (MF)membranes describe a range of membrane technology which removes organics such as viruses and bacteria, suspended solids, yeast cells and other particles from the particular size range
• Applications are in Reverse Osmosis pre-treatment, potable water generation, industrial waste water treatment and industrial process applications such as dairy or beverage production
• UF and MF are an established, yet strongly growing market
• De.mem’s offering comprises of PES- and PVDF-based polymer membranes with numerous variations in pore size; the customer is presented with a solution specific to the particular requirements
IMAGE: De.mem Ultrafiltration skid
IMAGE: De.mem Ultrafiltration skid
RESIDENTIAL FILTRATION SYSTEM12
IMAGE: De.mem residential water filter for bench-top installation
IMAGE: De.mem 5-stage residential filter
• De.mem offers a residential filtration system (installed under the sink) using the Company’s Ultrafiltration membranes as the key filtration step
• The membrane is combined with other processes such as carbon filter and alkaline cartridge (“3 to 5 stage filtration”)
• De.mem cartridges are exchanged with new ones during routine maintenance in regular intervals
• Products are available in Singapore
• De.mem plans for the market introduction into other countries – entry into some markets i.e. Australia subject to regulatory approvals
• De.mem presents a variation of the product which is installed on the bench-top, by simple connection to the tap
• The system can be self installed which greatly simplifies sales & marketing efforts
FORWARD OSMOSIS-DEWATERING MEMBRANE13
Working Principle of Forward Osmosis Membrane
feed draw solution feed draw
solution
pure water
Membrane Membrane
FO
• Forward Osmosis (FO) is a membrane separation technology based on osmotic pressure differences; without any external mechanical pressure being applied
• A highly saline “draw solution” pulls water molecules through the membrane out of a feed liquid, and effectively concentrates the feed
• The De.mem technology was licensed from NTU, Singapore, which won prestigious industry awards
• It enables “gentle” concentration of liquids, preserving Volatile Organic Compounds (=taste) and nutrients such as proteins, enzymes, vitamins
• The technology has been deployed for coffee and tea concentration with superior results compared to existing state-of-the-art (=evaporation), and is potentially applicable to the production of fruit juice, dairy products, beer, wine, etc
• Other applications are in brine management
IMAGE: FO system supplied to multinational customer
TECHNICAL DATA: DE.MEM HOLLOW-FIBRE MEMBRANE PORTFOLIO14
Type PES-NF+ PES-NFPES-NFnext gen
PES UF PES MF PVDF MFPES-GOnext gen
PES-EGOnext gen
OriginNTU
(license)De.memin-house
De.memin-house
De.mem in-house
De.mem in-house
De.mem in-house
De.memin-house
De.memin-house
MWCO* 2,000 500-1,000 <500 <100K Da <300K Da < 300K Da < 100K Da < 100K Da
Status In market In market Prototype In market In marketIndustrial scale pilot
Industrial scale pilot
Prototype
De.mem IP comprises different types of nano-, ultra- and micro-filtration membranes
* Molecular Weight Cut-Off
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DE.MEM’S“NEXTGENERATION” TECHNOLOGY
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Graphene has emerged into a highly researched topic in water treatment. The new material allows for super-efficient water filtration
Graphene is the new “wonder material”:
• an individual, two-dimensional layer of carbon atoms, bonded in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice
• one of the strongest, lightest, most conductive, and transparent materials known
• naturally repels water (is hydrophobic), but when oxygen groups are added to create graphene oxide (GO), the material promotes rapid water permeation
• Other applications include flexible electric/photonics circuits, solar cells etc.
• One of the most exciting application areas of the graphene-based materials is water and wastewater treatment
USE OF GRAPHENE IN MEMBRANE RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
*Source: www.graphene-info.com
Graphene is considered a new “wonder material” in membrane research & technology
DE.MEM’s “NEXT GEN” GRAPHENE-OXIDE (GO) ENHANCED MEMBRANES17
De.mem’s new range of “Next Generation” membranes are based on the company’s self-developed polymer membranes, which are infused with Graphene Oxide (GO) nanoparticles as an additive
De.mem’s new PES-GO membranes are produced at the Company’s existing facility in Singapore, using existing manufacturing equipment
De.mem has tested the new PES-GO membranes in the lab, observing superior filtration characteristics i.e.
• Increased water flux (throughput) over standard polymer membrane by 20-40% - reducing operating cost
• Ultra high flux substantially above the latter can potentially be achieved for certain formulations
• Increased rejection (lower Molecular Weight Cut Off, MWCO) over standard polymer membrane
At this time, De.mem is conducting industrial scale pilot projects in Singapore and will update further about its progress
We are excited to present our next-gen technology: Graphene-Oxide Enhanced Membranes
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APPENDIX
SELECTED DE.MEM HOLLOW FIBRE MEMBRANE PROJECTS19
Industrial Waste Water (F&B) • Membrane based waste water treatment plant for F&B industry factory in Singapore
• Treats factory waste water to regulatory discharge standards
• High amount of oil & grease and volatile organic compounds in the waste water
• Integration of different process steps including DAF, Ultrafiltration and carbon filter
Industrial Waste Water (F&B)• Membrane based waste water treatment plant for F&B industry factory in Singapore
• Treats factory waste water to regulatory discharge standards, with recycling “option”
• High amount of oil & grease and volatile organic compounds in the waste water
• Integration different process steps including Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration and carbon filter
Forward Osmosis concentration system (F&B)• Delivery of hollow fibre Forward Osmosis concentration system to leading multinational from
the food ingredients industry
• Deployed to concentrate different types of beverages and flavours
Potable Water for Municipality• 2 MLD potable water treatment plant
• Ultrafiltration as key treatment process
• Deployed in a municipality in Nghe An province, Vietnam
• Using river water for the feed
Water Treatment for Industrial Park• Hollow-fibre Nanofiltration system treating river water to high-quality process water for
industrial production at industrial park in Vietnam
• Simple one-stage, low pressure nanofiltration process
Industrial Waste Water & Recycling (Oil & Gas)• Deployed a series of Ultrafiltration systems at different locations within the factory of a large
multinational in Singapore
• Treats waste water from testing pits for drilling equipment to recycling / re-use quality
• High amount of oil & grease in the waste water
Industrial Waste Water (Plating industry)• Ultrafiltration system for treatment of plating industry waste water to legal discharge
standards
• Deployed at the factory of a multinational corporation in Singapore
Industrial Waste Water (Plating industry)• Reverse Osmosis system for waste water treatment from plating factory
• Nanofiltration membranes deployed as high quality pre-filtration prior to RO
SELECTED DE.MEM HOLLOW FIBRE MEMBRANE PROJECTS (CONT.)20
LEGAL DISCLAIMER21
This presentation has been prepared by De.mem Limited and its related entities (the “Company”). It does not purport to contain all the information that a prospective investor may require in
connection with any potential investment in the Company. You should not treat the contents of this presentation, or any information provided in connection with it, as financial advice, financial
product advice or advice relating to legal, taxation or investment matters.
No representation or warranty (whether express or implied) is made by the Company or any of its officers, advisers, agents or employees as to the accuracy, completeness or reasonableness
of the information, statements, opinions or matters (express or implied) arising out of, contained in or derived from this presentation or provided in connection with it, or any omission from this
presentation, nor as to the attainability of any estimates, forecasts or projections set out in this presentation. This presentation is provided expressly on the basis that you will carry out your
own independent inquiries into the matters contained in the presentation and make your own independent decisions about the affairs, financial position or prospects of the Company. The
Company reserves the right to update, amend or supplement the information at any time in its absolute discretion (without incurring any obligation to do so). Neither the Company, nor its
related bodies corporate, officers, their advisers, agents and employees accept any responsibility or liability to you or to any other person or entity arising out of this presentation including
pursuant to the general law (whether for negligence, under statute or otherwise), or under the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, Corporations Act 2001,
Competition and Consumer Act 2010 or any corresponding provision of any Australian state or territory legislation (or the law of any similar legislation in any other jurisdiction), or similar
provision under any applicable law. Any such responsibility or liability is, to the maximum extent permitted by law, expressly disclaimed and excluded. Nothing in this material should be
construed as either an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities. It does not include all available information and should not be used in isolation as a basis to invest in the
Company.
Future Matters | This presentation contains reference to certain intentions, expectations, future plans, strategy, revenue forecasts and prospects of the Company. Those intentions,
expectations, future plans, strategy, revenue forecasts and prospects may or may not be achieved and may be forward looking statements. They are based on certain assumptions, which
may not be met or on which views may differ and may be affected by known and unknown risks. The performance and operations of the Company may be influenced by a number of factors,
many of which are outside the control of the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by the Company, or any of its directors, officers, employees, advisers or
agents that any intentions, expectations or plans will be achieved either totally or partially or that any particular rate of return will be achieved. Given the risks and uncertainties that may cause
the Company’s actual future results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expected, planned or intended, recipients should not place undue reliance on these
intentions, expectations, future plans, strategy, revenue forecasts and prospects. The Company does not warrant or represent that the actual results, performance or achievements will be as
expected, planned or intended.
US Disclosure | This document does not constitute any part of any offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of
any “US person” as defined in Regulation S under the US Securities Act of 1993 (“Securities Act”). The Company’s shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act
or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to any US person without being so registered or pursuant to
an exemption from registration including an exemption for qualified institutional buyers.
All figures included in this presentation are in AUD$ unless otherwise stated. Assumed exchange rate of AUD$1:USD$0.75
